luni, 27 iulie 2015

Hello
darlings and welcome to a new and dare I say anticipated blog post.

It’s summer(
thank GOD!!!) and I know many of you are anxious to take on projects for the
next cold season. I say this simply because I received a lot of requests for
crochet winter coat patterns. So this is why I did my best to research and
discover the trendiest but also warm and comfy looks for winter coats.

So here is
the story of what I found and the pattern ideas and stitch explanations so you
can make yourself a trendy , beautiful, comfortable and warm crochet winter
coat.

Crossover
Stitch Winter Coat – Polina Krainova

Why Did I
call it this way? Honestly because I have no idea who the designer is, I love
this stitch and I find it extremely easy to remember it this way.

I found the
design ( already made coat) on vk Russian forum. I don’t know if Polina Krainova is the name of the designer or of the brand but all I can say is that I
fell in love with this particular coat, color, texture and all.

First time
when I saw this stitch it was on Vanessa Montoro’s Instagram blog. She used it
for a pullover ( short sleeved) and worked it with vegetal silk thread.

The crochet
winter coat was made with a medium size yarn, merino, cotton acrylic mix works,
but polyester and cotton mix is also a good idea. A thicker yarn ( wool, or any
other bulky thread) would result in a stiffer structure so if normally you
would use a 4 mm hook, for a thicker yarn you will have to use a 4,5 -5 mm
hook.

Shaping the
coat:

Keep in mind
simple knitting principles for making the coat.

One back , two halves for the front.

A line shape worked either from the upper part or
the lower part.

No armhole decrease ( straight arm opening)

So here goes:

1.Chain
multiples of five ( according to your measurements)

2.Ch3,
*sk 4,1 Quadruple crochet in the 5th ch from the hook , skip the
first of the 4 skipped stitches and work 3dc in the next skipped ch using the
back loop so the quadruple crochet will remain in front*….repeat ** till the
end of the row.

3.The
second row is worked the same but keeping the quadruple crochet in the back(
only back loop) to get the ribbed effect

Work
as many rows as necessary to get above the hip line. Start a basic decrease to
get the shape from the picture. Simply skit one stitch to each side.

Same
simple style applies both for the back and the two fronts.

Sleeves
are worked in the same way and the decrease is a basic shoulder decrease (
skipped stitches to get the round shape)

You
can leave the neck line simple or you can add it a collar . Make a rectangle according to the neck opening
measurement . It’s really this simple.

Ribbed
Late Fall Coat – same designer ( I think)

This
coat uses the exact same style but a very different stitch.

I
don’t know about you but I am a fan of front post , back post dc . The
combination of this two gives the complicate and intricate looking ribbed
finish , checkerboard style that I love about this coat.

The
same choice of yarn and crochet hook applies.

Stitch
pattern:

The chart has groups of 3 stitches , the coat limits to two stitches /group

2.Ch3,
*sk 4,1 Quadruple crochet in the 5th ch from the hook , skip the
first of the 4 skipped stitches, ch 2 and work 1puff stitch in the first
skipped ch using the back loop so the quadruple crochet will remain in front*, *….repeat
** till the end of the row.

3.The
second row is worked the same but keeping the quadruple crochet in the back(
only back loop) to get the ribbed effect.

The
shaping of the coat remains at your choice. The one in the picture has a
gradual decrease in front ( the neck is shaped round).

These being said, girls I encourage you to
try.

It is a lot easier than you might think so and also a lot less work than
you might imagine. A compact stitch saves you the trouble of looking for an
underlining for the coat .

Keep
in mind that all you need to do is measure yourself accordingly ( there are
online tutorials for accurate measurements for crochet and knit clothing).

Have
fun and make your coat in a vivid color ( mine will be emerald green).

I
hope you like this post and I hope you will join us on Facebook, Pinterest and
Google+ for more interesting updates and ideas.

vineri, 10 iulie 2015

I can say for
myself that I am sporty chic with a strong hint of boho …kind of a gal :)

However when
it comes to something stylish to wear at a wedding, a christening, an afternoon
birthday party …or something comfortable enough to wear during hot summer days …crochet
dresses it’s all I have in mind.

So since the
post of this particular dress had quite an effect on our Facebook page and because the pattern was requested, here
it is the pattern for the Joie Elida Crochet Overlay dress sold by Neiman Marcus.

Courtesy of
styleknitting.ru here is the chart based pattern:

Important
instructions:

1. Yarn,
cotton, medium, mercerized or worsted. 2, 5 -3 mm hook.

2.Crochet
1 square. Measure it.

3.Measure
yourself. Divide your measurements for the front and back to the square
measurement to get the required number of squares.

7.Sl
st to the 3rd dc ( from the first group of 8), ch8, 1tr ch8 1tr (
first corner), *ch8 1sc,ch8,1sc, ch8, ch8, 1tr ch8 1tr ( second corner)*…repeat
** to shape the other 2 corners.

8.Ch1
, work 6 dc in the clusters between the corners, and 11dc in the 4 ch clusters
from the corners. Sl st to close

And
you are done.

The red lines indicate where the squares are joined together.

Shaping
the arm opening.

The
original design uses 4 halves of square for the back , and 2 halves for the
front.

Straps
and edge:

The
straps and the edge are worked continuously.

Edge:

1.1sc
in each ch

2.Ch1,sk2,
6dc in the same ch,sk 2, 1sc …repeat .

In case of the neck
opening , work the straps continuously.

Straps
at neck opening:

3.Chain
the required length ( multiple of 5)

4.1sc
in each ch

5.Ch1,sk2,
6dc in the same ch,sk 2, 1sc …

Repeat the same style when
working the arm opening edge. Here you will work continuously repeating the
straps steps on the opposite side of the already made straps ( 2 opposite rows
of shells – as shown in the picture)

I recommend using a very
soft fabric ( gauze) for the undergarment.

The dress can be made short, knee length or you can make it a tunic.

Keep in mind that this
dress is a lot simpler than it looks and it can easily be fitted to a slim or a
full figure.

Have fun making it and go
be a sexy diva to the summer party of your choice.

I hope you like the idea and start making your own today.

Please share this post far and wide so as many crochet fans as possible would benefit from the post.

vineri, 3 iulie 2015

Today is
Friday and my fingers are itching for a crochet hook and a skein of yarn. Oh…well…I
am sure a lot of you are like me craving for those extra minutes to crochet
among the job, house chores and a little one ( or several) demanding your
attention.

If you know
what I mean you would also understand me when I say that many nights, at one
moment or another I dream that I make a certain dress or a certain bolero. So …yeah…me
pretty obsessed with crocheting.:)

Since so many
Facebook fans asked for this pattern I took the time ( little as it is) to
write it.

I am huge fan
of everything crocheted designed by and for Free People brand. However since
the price is not exactly affordable I choose to make not buy most of the things
I liked from their collections.

The Free
People Vintage collection is one of the most popular line they made and sold
worldwide. The simple designs and lovely neutral colors make these items ideal
for any type of figure.

So here is
the pattern for Free People Vintage Mini Dress:

The dress can be made longer. Mine is knee length and
one of my friends made it a maxi …so it’s really your choice.

The measurement is done with the help of the square
motif. The dress in the pictures is size S ( 36-38) European.

Yarn recommendation. The original is made from
medium size worsted cotton with a 3 mm hook. I used mercerized cotton (
Catania) and a size 3 mm hook. Same result.

Here
goes:

The
upper part is made using the square motif ( 2 rows) . The straps are also made
with the square motif.

Square
motif:

1.Ch
12 , sl st to join

2.C1,
23sc in the loop.

3.Ch3,
5dc in the next loops, ch7, 6dc in the next loops, ch 7, 6dc in the next loops,
ch 7, 6dc in the next loops, ch 7, sl st to join.

The
motifs are joined in the corners.

Measure
yourself over the chest . Measure the square and divide your measurement by the
square measurement to get the number of squares.

Front
panel:

The
front panel must be measured so it will cover the chest area . Imagine drawing
a line from the edge of the shoulders down to the waistline. The resulted
rectangle must be filled with the lacy stitch.